Chapter 166: 166
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The fall into the abyss is just like any other, cold, sickening, and laced with the perpetual feeling that I might never see the light of day again. Thoughts of what horrors lay below me fly through my head, sending pin pricks of terror racing through my system in a way that makes me believe that my wearied body might never see any rest again.
If the next layer to this labyrinth is anything like its creator, then it will surely be something as horrifying as it is impeccable. Azrael has an unusually monumental taste for grandeur, and all things that classify as any manner of debauchery. Like most vampires, he is excessively flamboyant, carries an insatiable hunger for blood, vengeance, and has an unnerving compulsion to toy with his prey until their untimely expiration and the sweet release of death. Not that there truly is anything sweet about it.
But such worries, as valid as they are true, have little place in a race against time, a competition between life and death.
I have people to save, and I damn well going to save them.
The uprush of cold air flowing around my body and an ever nearing woosh of water indicates that I have almost approached my destination. Crossing my arms over myself, I brace for impact, praying that everything, including the landing, will go smoothly, and I won't just end up as a pile of jam at the bottom of this pit. Frantically, I clutch at the sachet by my side, fumbling for a grip as the constant tug of gravity pulls me downwards.
Through the blurriness of my watery eyes and the dizzy freefall, I smile, hugging it close to my chest as I give one last look to the little dragon.
Hopefully he wakes up soon.
Perhaps the whooshing of waves should have told me something, or perhaps my brain simply isn't quite with it yet. For one moment I am falling through fresh, clean air, the next I am plummeting straight into icy water.
Even being half vampire, the cold of the water hits me like a knife. Air expels from my lungs with a sharp exhalation caused by the frigid chill of the water. The swell and turmoil of the water drags me under, down into the icy abyss of water below me, where I can just about make out the swirling of long, tangled reeds rooting upwards from the ground far, far below.
Thankfully, the net I cast down prevents me from being dragged down any further, relief flooding through me at the knowledge I am not about to be swept away by some invisible current. I suppose I could have had a much worse landing.
Desperately, I kick to the surface, well aware that while I can breathe for a rather extended period of time, the little dragon in my sachet, currently unconscious, certainly can't. Sucking in my breath I propel myself forward, kicking to the pale green, artificial lighting that marks the presence of the surface.
At last I break out, gulping down the frigid air in large, gasping breaths, bringing my sachet to the surface in order to let the little dragon breathe. The air spikes my lungs with the cold, the feeling of not having to breath not quite settling right with me. After a second, I look down, scanning the sachet between my fingers as I tirelessly kick to keep myself afloat.
Thankfully, Kal emerges, the small dragon gasping and spitting putrid black flames into the water, shaking off his body to rid himself of excess water before lifting himself up into empty air. As he does so, a black mist clings to his form, blocking him from my sight for a moment, before dispersing, leaving in its place a much larger, much more human version of Kal.
"Good to see you again," I call up, shielding my eyes from the ominous green glow that wavers in the air around us. He doesn't answer.
Spitting out a spurt of water with a coughing choke, Kal pushes back his wet hair, scanning around frantically at the room we are in. Except its not really a room is it? Its more of a giant underwater cavern: hundreds of meters high and trailing with a saltwater expanse further than the eye can possibly reach. I suppose I was right after all- this place is grand. But not in the way I was expecting.
Kal looks about as confused as I do. He hovers a few meters above my head, fleeting this way and that, gazing over the endless expanse of water with wide and frightful eyes.
"Where the hell are we?" he cries, and then realising raising his voice might not be the best thing to do, adds more softly: "What happened to all the halflings?"
I shrug casually, doing my best to try and keep myself afloat, my legs kicking out beneath me.
"Plan one didn't work, so I went with plan two."
"Plan two…?" Kal asks hesitantly, but from the growing look of awareness on his face I would take it to assume he has already guessed. Wiping a coiling strand of hair from my face, I grin.
"Complete obliteration of the vampires via burning."
Kal groans loudly, slapping a hand to his forehead.
"So that's what I can smell. You positively reek of burnt flesh, besides," he grumbles, glancing up warily at the huge green crystals glowing light lanterns several hundred meters above us. "I thought we agreed we would try my plan first."
Snorting, I give him a long hard look. I love Kal, but sometimes he can say the most stupidest things.
"Well, after you passed out, there wasn't much hope left. So, I did what I do best, and I burnt them all. Azrael's illusion included. And now we are here, in this weird cavern place, looking for a way out."
"So this is the second layer?" he adds quietly, an awful expression overcoming him. I nod.
"So it would seem."
Kal breathes out, nodding his head slowly, attempting to take in all the information I have bestowed upon him. For a few seconds he flits about mid air, his eyes flickering back and forth, head bowed in deep thought.
I too, take a moment to look around. Purposely avoiding ducking my head under the water to face the depths below me for fear of what I might find lurking below, I glance around the cavern, doing my best to keep myself afloat and to push that aching sensation of dread off my chest. This place- cave, cavern, ocean, whatever it is, seems endless. Sure I had expected something of relative grandeur, but this? This is something else entirely.
An endless ocean laced with the artificial light of luminous green crystals far above our heads, no sign of land, or life, only the swirling depths of the ocean beneath us, and the bitter taste of salty brine. It is about as fantastical as it is absolutely terrifying.
Kal mutters something quietly to himself, tapping his fingers together in thought. Then after a minute, he raises his head, lifting a finger in an attempt at a preposition.
"Okay, here is the deal. I'm faster than you, so I am going to scout this cavern, see if there is any land we can get you on, and then come back and report to you. Meanwhile you can stay here, or dive down into the water, see what you can find. If any one of us is in trouble, we shoot magic into the sky. Sound good?" he asks. I nod my head in silent assent.
After all, what choice in the matter do I really have? I can't even see the ends of this cavern, the ceiling must be at least fifty meters high, and I can't even make out either end of the cavern. Kal would be much quicker at traversing than me.
It is peculiar, not at all what I was expecting for Azrael's layer- rather I was thinking more along the line of traps and deceptions, but this open space seems far from it. Frankly, with the murky, seemingly bottomless depths below me, and the eerie green light streaming in from giant crystals above our heads, this place seems positively terrifying. But I still wouldn't put it past Azrael to lace this place with traps and illusions anyhow. After all, it seems like something he would do.
"Be careful," I warn, giving him a wan smile, not particularly wanting to be left alone. But the same expression seems to riddle Kal's face too.
"I will. I'll be back in a bit," Kal assures, waving a hand dismissively in my general direction, alighting further into the air as he begins to fly away, circling high up in the sky. Before I can call after him, beg for him to return, he is gone, fading into the black mist of shadows and darkness.
Sighing, I raise my hand to my head.
I can only hope now, I suppose, that he realises this whole place is full of hundreds and hundreds of illusions, that any creature he comes across could be either real, or a mere fragment of his imagination intent on torturing his will into submission. This whole place was designed with the intention of never allowing us to leave, created by a vampires cunning, and thirst for death. This is Azrael's layer after all.. Both of us should expect nothing less.
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The fall into the abyss is just like any other, cold, sickening, and laced with the perpetual feeling that I might never see the light of day again. Thoughts of what horrors lay below me fly through my head, sending pin pricks of terror racing through my system in a way that makes me believe that my wearied body might never see any rest again.
If the next layer to this labyrinth is anything like its creator, then it will surely be something as horrifying as it is impeccable. Azrael has an unusually monumental taste for grandeur, and all things that classify as any manner of debauchery. Like most vampires, he is excessively flamboyant, carries an insatiable hunger for blood, vengeance, and has an unnerving compulsion to toy with his prey until their untimely expiration and the sweet release of death. Not that there truly is anything sweet about it.
But such worries, as valid as they are true, have little place in a race against time, a competition between life and death.
I have people to save, and I damn well going to save them.
The uprush of cold air flowing around my body and an ever nearing woosh of water indicates that I have almost approached my destination. Crossing my arms over myself, I brace for impact, praying that everything, including the landing, will go smoothly, and I won't just end up as a pile of jam at the bottom of this pit. Frantically, I clutch at the sachet by my side, fumbling for a grip as the constant tug of gravity pulls me downwards.
Through the blurriness of my watery eyes and the dizzy freefall, I smile, hugging it close to my chest as I give one last look to the little dragon.
Hopefully he wakes up soon.
Perhaps the whooshing of waves should have told me something, or perhaps my brain simply isn't quite with it yet. For one moment I am falling through fresh, clean air, the next I am plummeting straight into icy water.
Even being half vampire, the cold of the water hits me like a knife. Air expels from my lungs with a sharp exhalation caused by the frigid chill of the water. The swell and turmoil of the water drags me under, down into the icy abyss of water below me, where I can just about make out the swirling of long, tangled reeds rooting upwards from the ground far, far below.
Thankfully, the net I cast down prevents me from being dragged down any further, relief flooding through me at the knowledge I am not about to be swept away by some invisible current. I suppose I could have had a much worse landing.
Desperately, I kick to the surface, well aware that while I can breathe for a rather extended period of time, the little dragon in my sachet, currently unconscious, certainly can't. Sucking in my breath I propel myself forward, kicking to the pale green, artificial lighting that marks the presence of the surface.
At last I break out, gulping down the frigid air in large, gasping breaths, bringing my sachet to the surface in order to let the little dragon breathe. The air spikes my lungs with the cold, the feeling of not having to breath not quite settling right with me. After a second, I look down, scanning the sachet between my fingers as I tirelessly kick to keep myself afloat.
Thankfully, Kal emerges, the small dragon gasping and spitting putrid black flames into the water, shaking off his body to rid himself of excess water before lifting himself up into empty air. As he does so, a black mist clings to his form, blocking him from my sight for a moment, before dispersing, leaving in its place a much larger, much more human version of Kal.
"Good to see you again," I call up, shielding my eyes from the ominous green glow that wavers in the air around us. He doesn't answer.
Spitting out a spurt of water with a coughing choke, Kal pushes back his wet hair, scanning around frantically at the room we are in. Except its not really a room is it? Its more of a giant underwater cavern: hundreds of meters high and trailing with a saltwater expanse further than the eye can possibly reach. I suppose I was right after all- this place is grand. But not in the way I was expecting.
Kal looks about as confused as I do. He hovers a few meters above my head, fleeting this way and that, gazing over the endless expanse of water with wide and frightful eyes.
"Where the hell are we?" he cries, and then realising raising his voice might not be the best thing to do, adds more softly: "What happened to all the halflings?"
I shrug casually, doing my best to try and keep myself afloat, my legs kicking out beneath me.
"Plan one didn't work, so I went with plan two."
"Plan two…?" Kal asks hesitantly, but from the growing look of awareness on his face I would take it to assume he has already guessed. Wiping a coiling strand of hair from my face, I grin.
"Complete obliteration of the vampires via burning."
Kal groans loudly, slapping a hand to his forehead.
"So that's what I can smell. You positively reek of burnt flesh, besides," he grumbles, glancing up warily at the huge green crystals glowing light lanterns several hundred meters above us. "I thought we agreed we would try my plan first."
Snorting, I give him a long hard look. I love Kal, but sometimes he can say the most stupidest things.
"Well, after you passed out, there wasn't much hope left. So, I did what I do best, and I burnt them all. Azrael's illusion included. And now we are here, in this weird cavern place, looking for a way out."
"So this is the second layer?" he adds quietly, an awful expression overcoming him. I nod.
"So it would seem."
Kal breathes out, nodding his head slowly, attempting to take in all the information I have bestowed upon him. For a few seconds he flits about mid air, his eyes flickering back and forth, head bowed in deep thought.
I too, take a moment to look around. Purposely avoiding ducking my head under the water to face the depths below me for fear of what I might find lurking below, I glance around the cavern, doing my best to keep myself afloat and to push that aching sensation of dread off my chest. This place- cave, cavern, ocean, whatever it is, seems endless. Sure I had expected something of relative grandeur, but this? This is something else entirely.
An endless ocean laced with the artificial light of luminous green crystals far above our heads, no sign of land, or life, only the swirling depths of the ocean beneath us, and the bitter taste of salty brine. It is about as fantastical as it is absolutely terrifying.
Kal mutters something quietly to himself, tapping his fingers together in thought. Then after a minute, he raises his head, lifting a finger in an attempt at a preposition.
"Okay, here is the deal. I'm faster than you, so I am going to scout this cavern, see if there is any land we can get you on, and then come back and report to you. Meanwhile you can stay here, or dive down into the water, see what you can find. If any one of us is in trouble, we shoot magic into the sky. Sound good?" he asks. I nod my head in silent assent.
After all, what choice in the matter do I really have? I can't even see the ends of this cavern, the ceiling must be at least fifty meters high, and I can't even make out either end of the cavern. Kal would be much quicker at traversing than me.
It is peculiar, not at all what I was expecting for Azrael's layer- rather I was thinking more along the line of traps and deceptions, but this open space seems far from it. Frankly, with the murky, seemingly bottomless depths below me, and the eerie green light streaming in from giant crystals above our heads, this place seems positively terrifying. But I still wouldn't put it past Azrael to lace this place with traps and illusions anyhow. After all, it seems like something he would do.
"Be careful," I warn, giving him a wan smile, not particularly wanting to be left alone. But the same expression seems to riddle Kal's face too.
"I will. I'll be back in a bit," Kal assures, waving a hand dismissively in my general direction, alighting further into the air as he begins to fly away, circling high up in the sky. Before I can call after him, beg for him to return, he is gone, fading into the black mist of shadows and darkness.
Sighing, I raise my hand to my head.
I can only hope now, I suppose, that he realises this whole place is full of hundreds and hundreds of illusions, that any creature he comes across could be either real, or a mere fragment of his imagination intent on torturing his will into submission. This whole place was designed with the intention of never allowing us to leave, created by a vampires cunning, and thirst for death. This is Azrael's layer after all.. Both of us should expect nothing less.
The fall into the abyss is just like any other, cold, sickening, and laced with the perpetual feeling that I might never see the light of day again. Thoughts of what horrors lay below me fly through my head, sending pin pricks of terror racing through my system in a way that makes me believe that my wearied body might never see any rest again.If the next layer to this labyrinth is anything like its creator, then it will surely be something as horrifying as it is impeccable. Azrael has an unusually monumental taste for grandeur, and all things that classify as any manner of debauchery. Like most vampires, he is excessively flamboyant, carries an insatiable hunger for blood, vengeance, and has an unnerving compulsion to toy with his prey until their untimely expiration and the sweet release of death. Not that there truly is anything sweet about it.But such worries, as valid as they are true, have little place in a race against time, a competition between life and death.I have people to save, and I damn well going to save them.The uprush of cold air flowing around my body and an ever nearing woosh of water indicates that I have almost approached my destination. Crossing my arms over myself, I brace for impact, praying that everything, including the landing, will go smoothly, and I won't just end up as a pile of jam at the bottom of this pit. Frantically, I clutch at the sachet by my side, fumbling for a grip as the constant tug of gravity pulls me downwards. Through the blurriness of my watery eyes and the dizzy freefall, I smile, hugging it close to my chest as I give one last look to the little dragon.Hopefully he wakes up soon.Perhaps the whooshing of waves should have told me something, or perhaps my brain simply isn't quite with it yet. For one moment I am falling through fresh, clean air, the next I am plummeting straight into icy water. Even being half vampire, the cold of the water hits me like a knife. Air expels from my lungs with a sharp exhalation caused by the frigid chill of the water. The swell and turmoil of the water drags me under, down into the icy abyss of water below me, where I can just about make out the swirling of long, tangled reeds rooting upwards from the ground far, far below.Thankfully, the net I cast down prevents me from being dragged down any further, relief flooding through me at the knowledge I am not about to be swept away by some invisible current. I suppose I could have had a much worse landing.Desperately, I kick to the surface, well aware that while I can breathe for a rather extended period of time, the little dragon in my sachet, currently unconscious, certainly can't. Sucking in my breath I propel myself forward, kicking to the pale green, artificial lighting that marks the presence of the surface. At last I break out, gulping down the frigid air in large, gasping breaths, bringing my sachet to the surface in order to let the little dragon breathe. The air spikes my lungs with the cold, the feeling of not having to breath not quite settling right with me. After a second, I look down, scanning the sachet between my fingers as I tirelessly kick to keep myself afloat.Thankfully, Kal emerges, the small dragon gasping and spitting putrid black flames into the water, shaking off his body to rid himself of excess water before lifting himself up into empty air. As he does so, a black mist clings to his form, blocking him from my sight for a moment, before dispersing, leaving in its place a much larger, much more human version of Kal."Good to see you again," I call up, shielding my eyes from the ominous green glow that wavers in the air around us. He doesn't answer.Spitting out a spurt of water with a coughing choke, Kal pushes back his wet hair, scanning around frantically at the room we are in. Except its not really a room is it? Its more of a giant underwater cavern: hundreds of meters high and trailing with a saltwater expanse further than the eye can possibly reach. I suppose I was right after all- this place is grand. But not in the way I was expecting.Kal looks about as confused as I do. He hovers a few meters above my head, fleeting this way and that, gazing over the endless expanse of water with wide and frightful eyes."Where the hell are we?" he cries, and then realising raising his voice might not be the best thing to do, adds more softly: "What happened to all the halflings?"I shrug casually, doing my best to try and keep myself afloat, my legs kicking out beneath me."Plan one didn't work, so I went with plan two.""Plan two?" Kal asks hesitantly, but from the growing look of awareness on his face I would take it to assume he has already guessed. Wiping a coiling strand of hair from my face, I grin."Complete obliteration of the vampires via burning."Kal groans loudly, slapping a hand to his forehead."So that's what I can smell. You positively reek of burnt flesh, besides," he grumbles, glancing up warily at the huge green crystals glowing light lanterns several hundred meters above us. "I thought we agreed we would try my plan first."Snorting, I give him a long hard look. I love Kal, but sometimes he can say the most stupidest things."Well, after you passed out, there wasn't much hope left. So, I did what I do best, and I burnt them all. Azrael's illusion included. And now we are here, in this weird cavern place, looking for a way out.""So this is the second layer?" he adds quietly, an awful expression overcoming him. I nod."So it would seem."Kal breathes out, nodding his head slowly, attempting to take in all the information I have bestowed upon him. For a few seconds he flits about mid air, his eyes flickering back and forth, head bowed in deep thought. I too, take a moment to look around. Purposely avoiding ducking my head under the water to face the depths below me for fear of what I might find lurking below, I glance around the cavern, doing my best to keep myself afloat and to push that aching sensation of dread off my chest. This place- cave, cavern, ocean, whatever it is, seems endless. Sure I had expected something of relative grandeur, but this? This is something else entirely.An endless ocean laced with the artificial light of luminous green crystals far above our heads, no sign of land, or life, only the swirling depths of the ocean beneath us, and the bitter taste of salty brine. It is about as fantastical as it is absolutely terrifying.Kal mutters something quietly to himself, tapping his fingers together in thought. Then after a minute, he raises his head, lifting a finger in an attempt at a preposition."Okay, here is the deal. I'm faster than you, so I am going to scout this cavern, see if there is any land we can get you on, and then come back and report to you. Meanwhile you can stay here, or dive down into the water, see what you can find. If any one of us is in trouble, we shoot magic into the sky. Sound good?" he asks. I nod my head in silent assent. After all, what choice in the matter do I really have? I can't even see the ends of this cavern, the ceiling must be at least fifty meters high, and I can't even make out either end of the cavern. Kal would be much quicker at traversing than me.It is peculiar, not at all what I was expecting for Azrael's layer- rather I was thinking more along the line of traps and deceptions, but this open space seems far from it. Frankly, with the murky, seemingly bottomless depths below me, and the eerie green light streaming in from giant crystals above our heads, this place seems positively terrifying. But I still wouldn't put it past Azrael to lace this place with traps and illusions anyhow. After all, it seems like something he would do."Be careful," I warn, giving him a wan smile, not particularly wanting to be left alone. But the same expression seems to riddle Kal's face too."I will. I'll be back in a bit," Kal assures, waving a hand dismissively in my general direction, alighting further into the air as he begins to fly away, circling high up in the sky. Before I can call after him, beg for him to return, he is gone, fading into the black mist of shadows and darkness.Sighing, I raise my hand to my head.I can only hope now, I suppose, that he realises this whole place is full of hundreds and hundreds of illusions, that any creature he comes across could be either real, or a mere fragment of his imagination intent on torturing his will into submission. This whole place was designed with the intention of never allowing us to leave, created by a vampires cunning, and thirst for death. This is Azrael's layer after all.. Both of us should expect nothing less.
